#Ben Simmons’ fail may never be forgotten in Philly, says Reggie Miller

There may not be any affection left for Ben Simmons in the City of Brotherly Love. 

In the wake of his dreadful performance in the playoffs, the All-Star point guard might have played his last game for the 76ers, with the team’s fans to blame, according to Hall of Famer Reggie Miller. 

“Philly fans have long memories,” Miller said Thursday afternoon on a conference call. “And if you bring him back and he goes through a stretch of two, three, four games, Philly fans are gonna let you know. That’s just how they are. Mentally, that’s the hardest thing to prepare an athlete for.”

Simmons’ future in Philadelphia is increasingly precarious, even though he is entering the second year of a five-year, $177 million max contract extension that he signed in 2019. Simmons’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, met this week with members of the Sixers’ front office to discuss the matter.  

According to StatMuse, the 24-year-old made history in the playoffs for his woes on offense, shooting an all-time worst 34.2 percent from the free throw line this postseason. In the seven-game series against Atlanta, Simmons attempted just three shots in the fourth quarter, none of which occurred in the series’ final four games. 

Miller believes one particular moment to be indelible in the minds of Sixers fans. 

“They’re always gonna remember him being underneath the basket, having a chance to dunk, and he gives the ball up,” Miller said in reference to a pivotal play that helped turn the tide in Atlanta’s favor in Game 7. “And if he does anything like that next year, if they don’t get rid of him, he’s gonna be hearing the boos.” 

Shooting struggles are nothing new for the former No. 1-overall pick, who has never been a perimeter threat across four seasons in the league. Yet the Hawks exploited Simmons’ inabilities in ways other teams hadn’t, eliminating his impact on offense altogether. 

Many have pinned the top-seeded 76ers’ premature playoff exit on Simmons’ disappearing act, accusations that don’t sit right with former NBA player and TNT analyst Kenny Smith. 

“You could blame the series on Ben Simmons, but that’s not accurate,” Smith said. “There’s always somebody that everyone wants to blame things on. … Every player has tough series. That’s not unusual. You also have to look at not only what he didn’t do, but how can you put him in a position to be more productive? Why wasn’t he productive?”

The chorus of Simmons-related frustration is markedly different from the refrains Smith heard just last season at the NBA Orlando bubble. With Simmons sidelined due to a knee injury, the depleted 76ers suffered a season-ending, first-round sweep at the hands of the Celtics. 

“All I heard last year was, ‘If we had Ben Simmons, we would’ve gotten out of the first round last year,’ ” Smith said. “That’s all I heard coming out of Philadelphia. The reason we didn’t win, if we had Ben Simmons, we would’ve gotten out of the bubble. That’s all I heard.” 

Philadelphia is already devising a plan to reignite Simmons’ offensive capabilities. Whether he ever gets a chance to showcase his skills again as a 76er, though, remains to be seen.

“If you do move him, there’s gonna be some teams that want him because he can defend, he can create tempo and when he’s confident he does shoot the mid-range shot and the floater,” Smith said. “Does he have work to do? Hell yeah. But there’s a lot of teams that could use him.”